Their Will of Fire
by XLucy0117X
Summary: Naruto and Kakashi have a talk after a special ceremony after the end of the war. Spoilers and a fem!Naru.


_Can you believe this actually started out at a GaaNaru? Until a certain point I was describing Gaara, but I just wasn't into it and somehow Kakashi made his way in and then it just wasn't romance anymore. Sorry to the KakaNaru fans. It just…didn't want to go that way. I'm sorry if this seems OOC. I really tried my hardest to make this believable._

"–we will never forget those who gave their lives in this war," Onoki, the Sandaime Tsuchikage, continued, his voice fierce and face solemn. The other Kages stood off to his left, equal frowns marring their faces. They stood on a small cliff, elevated high in the air so the crowd of shinobi and kunoichi could see them.

One kunoichi standing near the very back of the crowd, Naruto, bit her lip as her knuckles clenched reflexively at her sides. She had already promised herself she would not cry today. She had to stand strong; the remaining original Genin from her days needed someone who would hold them down, stand firm through the storm. That had been Neji for the most part. Shikamaru was nearly always calm and collected along with Shino, but they didn't have the same vibe he had. The vibe of leadership, power, strength…and with all of the attention Naruto had been getting lately, she'd had more eyes upon her as of late than before. And if she wasn't the rock, who would be?

So she bit her lip, clenched her teeth, held back tears and dug her nails in her skin hard enough to draw blood, but still did not let the tears fall. Through the hour ceremony in recognition of all who had died during the Fourth Ninja War, she stood firmly still, only moving to glance at Kiba comforting Hinata, and Sakura. Sakura managed through nearly the whole hour before the ceremony was coming to a close. She had most likely really felt the full effects of saying good-bye to their comrades before her façade came to an abrupt end.

Her teammate brought her hands up to her eyes, covering them, choking back sobs. Team seven hadn't just lost Neji, but they had lost Yamato as well. When they found him, he was in a coma, unable to be awoken. They had wanted to wait, but Tsunade had declared him brain-dead. They lost another friend to the war.

Naruto awkwardly gripped Sakura's forearms and yanked her into a tight embrace, patting her back and gripping her shoulders, murmuring sweet nothings into her ear.

As soon as the speech had come to a close and the crowd began to disperse, Naruto apologized quickly to Sakura before leaving as fast as she could without making it look like she was fleeing. She hoped it looked more convincing than it felt.

She found herself down an alley at the very back, crying under her breath and hiccupping back the louder sobs that formed in her throat. _No,_ She thought. _I have to be strong for the others. For Sakura. For Hinata, for Lee, for Tenten, for everyone. I have to be._

Fixing upon that, she swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, wiping the tears from her face. She stood there a few minutes, readying herself to find the others, or at the very least to make her way around town without looking like she had just sobbed her guts out. When she realized she was as ready as she would ever be, not including her red-rimmed eyes, she started her trek out. Just as she turned to her right, someone had attempted to turn at the same corner, turning into her on their left. She found herself about to fall backwards after bumping chests with the other person before she was grabbed by the shoulders and held into place by a firm grip yet with a strange gentleness.

"Naruto," The voice paused, hesitating on what to say next. "You've been crying." Naruto looked up into Kakashi's face, surprised.

Instead of answering or continuing on that train of thought, Naruto said instead, "Kakashi-sensei…what are you doing here?"

He let go of her shoulders, instead bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck while the other hung at his side. "I went to talk to the rookies, but they said you had took off as soon as the ceremony finished." The unspoken "so I was worried," was ignored.

Naruto waved her hands in front of her, a very small smile spread on her face, an upturn quirk of the lips, as she anxiously tried to change the subject. "I just had to get some fresh air, you know? All of the sad auras and grieved people were a lot to deal with."

Kakashi hmmed in agreement, but when he fixed his eyes on Naruto's, she could see he wasn't fooled. "It's okay to cry, Naruto. Not even you have to be a rock. Plus, you have friends. That is what friends are for."

Giving up, Naruto gave a half shrug. "I just didn't want to upset the others more."

"You don't have to pretend, Naruto. We all know how you feel, and we feel the same way. It's not good to hold it in." Naruto broke contact with Kakashi and shifted her weight onto her other foot, awkwardly staring at the empty alley.

"How do you do it?" She asked, the words sounding much like a desperate plea. "All these friends and family dead…is that why you spend so much time at the memorial stone?"

Kakashi's lone eye narrowed, still watching the blonde nervously fidget. "No. I go there to…get solace. It's true I mourn my mistakes for some time, but standing there, talking to their graves gives me some peace knowing I'll be with them again soon. That even though they are gone and I am here, they're watching over me and they lived their lives to their fullest doing what they trained for; helping others, protecting the civilians and saving lives. They may be gone, but their will of fire remains. Their deeds still live.

Obito…didn't survive that cave-in. Although his body was functioning as well as his mind, he was dead. He was reborn with evil intent and anger. The Obito I knew's will of fire was still burning brightly inside of you, Naruto. Their deaths hurt, but they still live on. And it's our job to make sure their fire continues to burn brightly."

Naruto turned to fix her gaze on him, seeing him a little differently. "Their bodies are gone, their souls have left, but who they were and what they've done lives on…" She murmured, thinking that over. After a long moment she nodded firmly, a small smile lifting up at the edges of her mouth. "Then we'll make sure Yamato-sensei, Neji and Obito continue to live on."

Kakashi eye-smiled at her although it looked a little forced. "Of course." Kakashi paused, thinking over what to say next before finally deciding on "Your parents would be proud of you. You're the hero, the one of the prophecy. You've achieved bringing all four nations together with the samurai and gained control over your demon to wage a war against those who were trying to destroy the world. You've grown from the little idiot you used to be."

This time Naruto grinned brightly. "I might even make Hokage."

Kakashi let out a small snort. "You just might."


End file.
